A Business of Blood for Capital
by MangoSupaStar
Summary: Navigating the waters of Stilwater isn't for the weak and only the strong survive, there is no such thing as a fairy tale when you come from the Projects as Amare soon discovers. A clandestine meeting with the boss of the 3rd St. Saints changes his life in ways he could have never imagined, a capitalizing in betrayal and revenge even those without morality would find disgusting.
1. A Grim Existence

Drawing his name in the trash-laden dirt with a stick, Amare could feel the summer's relentless rays beat on his brown skin. There was no tree in sight to protect him from the heat and inside was hardly any better. The young boy breathed heavily, the putrid smell of month old garbage wafting in the air as he scanned the open space between two apartment complexes. " _Reni!"_ he called out, clutching his flimsy stick. The boy inched his way down the alley, peaking over each beat up garbage can.

"Renisha, I ain't playin' with you!" he shouted, reaching the end of the alleyway, leading to wider space behind the complexes. " _Raaaawwwr!"_ a voice growled, causing Amare to jump. "Girl, do you know I will _kill_ you!" he threatened, dismissing her howling and cackling. "It's not funny, I thought someone took yo' ass." he expressed, dusting off his shoes and yanking her hand. Renisha rolled her eyes, hardly protesting. Her brother had a point.

At least nine women had been kidnapped within the last two weeks. Sometimes, in broad daylight such as it was now. Everyone knew where they were though, but no one could do anything about it. It was just how things were when you lived under the authority of the Vice Kings. It was usually the young girls that were snatched up, even as young as sixteen – Renisha's age. Some of the older female residents volunteered to work for Tanya Winters, usually the pretty women that the gang wanted to gang bang anyway.

Two years ago, their own mother met with this fate after losing her job at the cleaners over in Chinatown. Desperation and two children can make you do some insane things. Amare and Renisha would go days without ever seeing their mother and whenever they did, she always had some fresh bruise, cut or a couple of sore spots from where a client had been just a bit too rough. This naturally, made Amare feel powerless and angry.

Between the rampant prostitution, the children also had to deal with frequent drive-by shootings, trap houses leaking toxic chemicals and the occasional Vice King attempting to rough them up for money that they owed for simply existing in their territory. The Stilwater police department were the least of their worries and with their father leaving nearly a decade ago, he felt it was his duty to protect his family as best as he could. Even if that meant quite literally, following Renisha just about everywhere she went. Amare vowed to get his family out of this neighborhood someday, no matter what it took to do that.

Later that night, Renisha and Amare were sprawled across the couch, spending the weekend cooped inside of the small apartment. Amare could hear Renisha's stomach growl softly, though she pretended to hear nothing. "Aye, you wanna order a pizza or something? I got a little cash for that." he suggested, his heart stung with disappointment. "Nah, I'm good." She replied, brushing him off to continue watching Fuzz. Amare shrugged his shoulders and left to call for pizza anyway. He knew she was lying, just to make him feel better.

Standing by the window, he whipped out his cellphone, scrolling through the contacts. From the corner of his eye, he could see it was a typical Saturday night, vagabonds milling about the sidewalk, rambunctious bangers blowing their last $500 on booze, weed and pussy. He kissed his teeth, and turned to his phone. In the distance he could hear frantic squad cars, and no sooner did he press the 'call' button, did two SPD vehicles pull into the yard directly facing their house.

Renisha's attention snapped to the front window. She scooted from the couch and leaped to the front door, sprinting outside. Amare dropped his cellphone, hearing the pizza employee greet him, and raced behind her. Reaching the front yard, Amare grabbed his sister by her waist, holding her back. They had seen the police a thousand times, but this time was ultimately different and ultimately life changing. Amare could feel his heart sink to his feet as the burly man walked towards them.


	2. A Savage Jungle

Renisha could feel her pulse pound in her ears. She feebly attempted to escape her brother's grip, but it was futile, the power his muscles held were impressive. She had seen this scene a million times, it happened every week, but she knew this time it was for them, she knew this would happen some day. The police officer asked for Amare Jacobs, Renisha could barely hear him respond and what she heard the officer say next knocked all of her senses.

"I'm sorry to say this, but your mother, Amerie Jacobs was found earlier tonight. We need you two to come down to the station for a positive ID. We will offer to drive you there." he announced rather solemnly. Amazingly she didn't burst into tears, but rather crumpled to the ground, her brother's grasp grew stronger as he struggled to remain stoic. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

20 minutes later, the siblings had arrived to the coroner's office. Amare sat his sister on a small, plush couch in the lobby. She hadn't spoken the entire car ride and he knew she was in no condition for what was to come. The coroner was a young, slender woman of South Asian descent, she led him to a room in the back, Amare and Renisha weren't the only family mourning the loss of a loved one. With each room he passed, he caught glimpses of other families sobbing over pale, stiff corpses.

When he entered the room where his mother lay, he felt his entire body become rigid. He couldn't move any further as the coroner removed the white sheet from his mother's swollen, bruised face. The woman gazed at him with consolation as he nodded his head. The woman was indeed his mother. Silence impregnated the room before his voiced cracked, "How...how did this happen?" The coroner sighed and asked, "Are you sure you would like to know, Mr. Jacobs?" The woman began to describe her gruesome death.

Just as Renisha had predicted a few months ago, their mother's John, Jaylen Andrews, savagely killed their mother. He abused her often, stabbing her a few times. Amare pleaded with her to leave, even taking a string of odd jobs to support their family, but it was of no use. According to witnesses, Amerie and Jaylen were seen arguing on the balcony of a luxury hotel in Nob Hill. Evidently, it was over him telling her that Tanya had plans to have Renisha among her working girls. A few witnesses could even hear him describe the sexual things he would do to her personally. It was with this, that the two began to physically fight. Amerie got a few stab wounds on the man, but in the end, he brutally beat her and in the end, tossed her over the balcony – six stories high.

The coroner had since left the room and Amare could feel his veins course with anger and rage. The young man fell to his knees, sobbing profusely at the sight of his mother. " _I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so gotdamn sorry. I didn't protect you..."_ he cried, tears burning his cheeks. He quickly got to his feet, slamming the metal tray next to his mother's body and stomping out of the room. Renisha was sitting on the couch, knees pulled to her chest. "Let's get the fuck out of here." he commanded, scooping her up and storming out of the building.

The night air was thick and humid on the journey home and by the time they had arrived, the neighborhood was quiet and still. Renisha ambled to her bedroom and Amare laid on the couch. He stared at the blank wall, unable to sleep. If their future was unsure, it certainly hung in the balance now.


	3. Urban Manhood

Barely a month had passed since their mother's dead. While Renisha had apparently moved on from her mother's death, Amare was still enraged and mourning. Renisha had gotten a job at Sloppy Seconds was often out late, much to her brother's protests. Amare could be seen out and about late at night, going from job to job. The siblings tried their hardest to keep themselves afloat and out of public eye. Their mother's death had garnered plenty of attention as it was one of the worst in Stilwater that year.

With hands in his pockets, Amare sauntered the sidewalk. It was just another night in Stilwater, prostitutes and hustlers littered the streets. "Watches! I've got watches here!" the fat Black man hollered. It wasn't even Fall, yet he was already in a burly winter coat. Amare shook his head at the sight of him. "Yo! Hey man, this shit'd cost you $600 in the store!" he shouted as Amare continued to walk past him. He knew the man was selling fake jewelry. The salesman was obviously offended, and retorted, "Aw, whatever!" He waved his hand at him, moving away to try his pitch with other unsuspecting customers.

Hardly a minute passed before a tall, curvacious and scantily clad woman approached him. He had to admit, she was quite a sight, as she pushed her plump breasts in his direct eyesight. "Hey baby, I could show you a good time..." she teased, winking at Amare. It had been weeks since his last spontaneous hook up. He had little time between burying his mother and working. Amare was a rarity. A broke fool, who could somehow and someway pull any woman he wanted. His late mother blessed her two children with her breathtaking beauty, and while they knew little of their father, what they did know was that he was a native Trinidadian whose charm and good looks didn't make him very faithful.

Amare inched closer to the woman and suddenly, they were both snapped out of their world to hear a trio of Vice Kings, all dressed in varying shades of yellow, loudly complain over yonder. "Aw hell naw!" one of the men shrieked. "Man, fuck the Rollerz!" his friend spat, gesturing towards the graffiti on the brick wall. The man in the middle, turned to the other friend carrying a spray can, "Levar! You gonna let those bitches disrespect us?!" Levar laughed. "Shit, what you think?" he replied, moving to the artwork and spraying over it.

By this time, just about every pedestrian had made a quick getaway, as a few members of the Westside Rollerz walked behind the Vice Kings, one man carrying a wooden bat. This could only spell trouble and bloodshed. "Fuck you think you're doin'?!" he howled, waving his bat in the man's face.  
The chubbier Vice King, wearing a bandana tied around his forehead, moved towards the three men. "Jus' bein' civic minded, is all" he taunted, opening him arms.

"Aw, that so?" a Roller countered, eying him angrily. "Yeah, some dumb ass cracka went and shit on this wall, and we jus' cleanin' it up!" the middle man exclaimed, also moving in towards them. Amare and the hooker were hiding in a parking lot, a couple of feet away from the brouhaha. They were essentially trapped, if they made a run for it, both gangs would have spotted them and murdered them on the spot for simply being a witness to it all. The men quickly began to fight one another, smashing heads with bats, and spraying spray paint in their opponents faces.

One of the Rollerz scurried in front of the two and before either of them could pull their thoughts together, Amare could hear Spanish blaring around the corner and a La Fuerza speed by, coming to a halt a few feet from him. "Hector says, 'Buenos Noches", one of Los Carnales spoke, faces covered with maroon and white bandanas. Soon, a firestorm of bullets could be heard clanking against metal and splintering through bodies. Amare had turned to see the hooker had dipped from the scene. He attempted to tag along before a Roller had shot the driver of the Fuerza at point blank range in the head, causing the car to spiral out of control, crashing exactly in the parking lot Amare had been hiding.

The car met with violent force and had quickly caught fire, causing a small explosion that blew him from his feet. Amare slammed the ground a few feet away, effectively spraining his ankle. "Shit!" he groaned, the heat from the growing fire crept closer to him. From the corner of his eye, he spotted the same Roller who had murdered the driver, stroll over to the remaining Carnales who had been pinned underneath the vehicle, and finished him off. Moments later, the Vice King that had been slammed in the head with a bat, popped one round into the Roller, before spinning to Amare.

"Wrong time, wrong place, dawg." he said, Amare struggled to scramble away. He squeezed his eyes shut, embracing himself for whatever came next. A blaring boom reverberated throughout the area and he flinched, clinching his fists. As he opened his eyes, a wave of shock and gratefulness poured over him.


	4. A Hustler's Salvation

"You okay, playa?" the stranger asked, crouching to help him to his feet. "Julius, let's move!" his companion hurriedly suggested, police sirens blaring in the distance. Amare tossed his arm over Julius's shoulder, limping quickly from the scene. Moments later, the fire encapsulated the Fuerza, exploding one final time, sending metal shards into the air. The men hustled across the street and Julius sat Amare down on the sidewalk.

Amare studied the man, he was familiar. His dark chocolate, sunken skin and stern gaze could pass him off as one of the plethora of old cats in his neighborhood. Amare noted that his clothing was that of a 70's gangsta film, pretty dated. "That don't look so bad, you should be fine. That's Troy. You can thank him later." Julius stated. Amare nodded at Troy. "Hey." he acknowledged, waving his gun. "The Row ain't safe no more, son. We got gangs fightin' over shit that ain't theirs, and you in they way. They don't care if you representin' or not."

Amare huffed, he had just learned that the hard way. Troy rolled his eyes, "Julius, this is no time to recruit..." The elder man swiveled his head, "We need all the help we can get, son." Troy groaned, "No, we need to get our asses out of here!" motioning away from them. Visibly irritated, Julius turned his attention to Amare, "Look, the Row's got a problem. Come to the church when you wanna be a part of the solution." With this, Troy and Julius swiftly made their getaway, leaving Amare to himself.

* * *

Days had passed since the event, Renisha interrogated him as to how he sprained his ankle, but he lied. Telling her it happened at one of his jobs by the docks. He knew she didn't really believe him, but she didn't have much evidence to prove otherwise. Amare had drowned himself in his thoughts. His rage against the Vice King strengthened. Lying on his bed, he peered out of his window and he knew that without a doubt, if he ever wanted to escape his own personal hell, he would eventually have to bang for someone, why not bang for the gang you hate?

It was a nasty, gruesome world in Stilwater. A true definition of the 'Have and Have Nots'. If you came from a good, middle class family, you could easily avoid what plagued the 'hood. You could go on to attend Stilwater University, get a boring desk job and only come to the 'hood when your wife stops suckin' and fuckin' after three kids.

* * *

Julius stood on the stone steps of the dilapidated church, Troy standing near his side. Scattered across the yard, were a gaggle of bright-eyed Saints, including the infamous Johnny Gat. His eyes moved across the audience with a bit of impatience. "Every muthafucka here knows what we need to do," he bellowed, "Those bitches be ridin' around, thinkin' they own these streets. I don't care what flags they're flyin'...Rollerz, Carnales, Vice Kings...no one's makin' this nigga scared to walk the Row. We 'bout to lock this shit down right now!" he announced, spotting Amare amongst the crowd. A couple of cheers emitted from the people, "Alright! Yeah!"

"Fuck yeah!" Johnny shouted, glancing over his shoulder, "who the fuck's this guy?" Two other Saints huddled around Amare. "Troy and I found him. I was gonna see if he'd ride with us." Julius answered. Johnny chortled, "Julius, if he wants to run with the Saints, he's gotta be canonized." Troy, who had been silent for the most part, glimpsed at Julius, twirling a toothpick between his lips. "He's right Julius. Everyone had to do it." Julius shook his head, looking to Amare. "You ready for this, playa?"

In a matter of minutes, Amare had to prepare to stave four different men, all of which appeared to be pretty tough. To call this overwhelming was an understatement, but he welcomed the challenge.


	5. Back to Basics

After the canonization, Amare panted heavily and wiped sweat from his forehead. Though it took plenty of effort, he managed to take down all four men that came for him. "You earned your colors today." Troy proclaimed, extending a hand to him. Behind him, he over heard someone compliment his skills. "That's some impressive shit; the only other Saint who kicked ass like that was Johnny!" The man was stout and short in height. His appearance was bit like a bird with small lips. His hair was quaffed expertly into dreadlocks and a royal purple visor was wrapped around it. This was Dexter Jackson, better known as Dex.

"Shit, took me half the time." Johnny bragged, leaning over to him. "Welcome to the 3rd Street Saints." Julius congratulated, pounding Amare's fist. "Let's get down to business. If we're serious about takin' back the Row, we gotta let those muthafuckas know what time it is. Now you break it down, and it's all about respect. Get enough of it, they're gonna back off, and we're gonna move right on in." he spoke, pausing to catch is breath. "We got some friends in town that could use some help. Give 'em a hand. 'Course, you can always drop any muthafucka flyin' the wrong flag. So long as the word gets out that the Saints is on the Row. I don't give a damn how you do it. You feel me?"

Julius's speech left the crew energized, and Troy promptly pulled Amare aside. "Aight, you already got some work to do. Let's head over to Friendly Fire." he ordered, leading him around to the gun store around the corner. "We gotta clean up the Row and put our foot in the ground." he mumbled, following Amare into the store, "just find something small and can do the job, nothing fancy." Amare peered at Troy. "You've never used a gun before, have you?" he asked, laughing at the man. "The last time I ever held one, my mom took it from my ass and never gave it back." he replied, picking out a Vice 9, the only gun he was familiar with using.

He immediately knew this meant clearing out the Vice Kings loitering around Saint's Row. As the men made their way to the Row, he could feel his heart pounding like a drum. He thought of what Renisha would say if she knew what her older brother was up to that day and would she trip or not. She had a habit of trippin' sometimes.

The pair ambushed a gang of Vice King chilling on a street corner. Troy and Amare quite literally picked the men off one by one and much to his surprise, it didn't take much time to drop them. They went on to clear three other groups located a different points throughout the Row, managing to cause a little damage to public property along the way. He felt pure adrenaline and thrill snuffing out their lives. Murdering them satisfied his need for some sense of revenge. Any Vice King that had remained, either dropped their flags or hightailed it to their territory.

Afterward, Troy asked Amare to drop him at Freckle Bitches, he learned that he had a thing for their fun bags, however weird that may be. A grown man eating the equivalent of a happy meal. Amare left the man to his devices and drove to the church. Johnny had left a voice mail while they were finishing taking over the Row, letting him know that he had another job that day – picking up some White Widow over by Fox Drive and that he would be there around 3PM. Such a job was easier said that done, because the entire region was under the authority of Los Carnales.

Amare was deep in thought during his drive. Over and over he thought of the repercussions of his actions and each time he thought about it, he had little remorse. It wasn't as if his mother never told them to join the gang life. If anything, she never said anything about it, she never instructed her children to stay from that life. He felt as if he was doing his job, doing what he could and oddly enough, on the first day he realized just how much he enjoyed this.


	6. Reclamation

Renisha sat on the rickety stool, head buried in her arms. It was another slow day at Sloppy Seconds, a local thrift store of the sordid type. They were often donated clothing that was soaked in various body fluids. She even found two bags of cocaine in the pockets of some old denim jeans. All in a day's work. She was often the only employee manning the store, which was a dangerous task in itself considering the store was located smack dab in the middle of the Projects. She quickly learned how to defend herself however, without her brother's knowledge.

Her mother's death left her feeling a sense of numbness, but the 17 year old managed to get on with her life. She felt like another statistic, running around with neither parent and somewhat of an orphan, but she had Amare. They had always been inseparable and this was one of the few times in their lives they've spent hours apart. She didn't mind it however, and her brother was always her best friend. She hardly – if ever – had female friends. Not that she didn't want to have any, she welcomed it, but many of the girls in her neighborhood were for a lack of a better terms, hoes. Only interested in getting close to Amare and while he was a bit of a promiscuous fellow, he had his standards. The run of the mill thot was not his choice.

She didn't date much either, Amare was a bit too protective for that. The few relationships that she did have never lasted long. Her caramel skin with a kiss of the sun's golden rays and mahogany eyes were enough to send most boys into overdrive. Her hair bounced around her face, her curls in perfect unison, framing her face. She was always told she could have been a model or a video vixen, but she found little interest in capitalizing on her beauty.

Over the following weeks, she had hardly come into contact with Amare. Whenever she came home, he was leaving and she wouldn't see him for days on end, but it wasn't anything abnormal. What _was_ abnormal was his new wardrobe and she spotted a few men she had never met before. One in particular had a horrible attitude, and a bad haircut that only he could make work, amazingly. When she accidentally bumped into the man, he unleashed one hell of a wrath on the girl. She kissed her teeth and remarked to him how much of a bitch he was and retreated to her apartment.

Renisha's head was still plopped on the counter when Amare opened the shop door. The blinding mid-afternoon sun shot through behind him, she held her hand to cover her eyes. "Where the hell have you been, asshole?" she interrogated, now sitting straight in the chair. Amare ignored her and pulled his wallet from his jeans. Her eyes grew to the size of luxury dinner plates. "AMARE TAYLOR! -" He cut her short, slamming down a few bands on the counter. Renisha was speechless. "Here's rent and go buy yourself something nice for once." he commanded, now smirking.

"But...how...what? How did you come up with $3000?!" she screamed, hopping from the chair. Renisha had never seen this much money at one time in her life. "Are you slingin' dope?" she asked, shock turning to concern. Amare shrugged his shoulders, "Somethin' like that." Ironically, there was little concern over the moral opinion of pushing dope in Stilwater, either you pushed it or you smoked it. "Meet me over at Harrowgate after your shift, don't keep me waiting." he stated, turning to leave Sloppy Seconds.

* * *

Renisha stared at the broken concrete as she walked towards Harrowgate. Earlier that day, she triumphantly stuffed three months of unpaid rent into her landlord's hand, much to his dismay as he planned to evict them. She could even afford to buy herself a brand new pair of shoes. She couldn't remember the last time her shoes didn't have gaping holes in the soles or stitching had come undone. She brushed her hair from her face, glancing up ahead, she could see Amare leaning against a brick wall. She noticed that he had cleaned. His hairline and facial hair were neatly lined, his purple Polo and midnight blue jeans still had the smell of the boutique lingering over them and his skin appeared to glow. He was happy.

Amare greeted her by throwing an arm around her shoulder. It was a funny sight, considering how petite she was in comparison to her brother. "You're not going back to Sloppy Seconds." he coolly spoke, the two now strolling down the sidewalk. "Huh? What the hell are you talkin' 'bout?" she replied. "Yo' ass heard me, I've been thinkin' about this for awhile now, but I want to offer somethin' I think you'd like more..." he spoke, voice drowning in the sound of the metro train driving by. She waited for him to continue. "I'm going to be honest with you." he said. "When haven't you been?" she laughed.

"I bang for the 3rd St. Saints." he announced, Renisha jumped and darted from underneath his arm. " _WHAT!?_ " she shrieked, taking another step from her brother. Amare sighed, "Where did you think I got this money from? There's more where it came from to." Amare could see that she was slightly uncomfortable at the idea of her brother being in a gang. "Look, it wasn't something I planned, but hear me out, Reni!" he pleaded, she remained quiet. "You hate the Vice Kings just as much as I do, don't you? Don't you want they asses to disappear too?"

Renisha cocked her head and rolled her eyes, "Of course I do. Of course I hate those sons of a bitches, but -," "But what other option do we have? Working some shitty nine to five and barely making $200 a week? Living in some roach infested hell hole? Living in fear that Tanya's skank ass is gone snatch you up at any moment? Is that what you want?" he asked, gazing into her eyes. Renisha let out an exasperated sigh, he had a point. The pair began to stroll again, now closer to the Row. "I've got some people for you to meet, just give it a chance, Reni." he begged, taking her hand and picking up the pace.

In a some odd seconds, Renisha would learn what exactly her brother had been up to these past couple of days and while she felt a tinge of uneasiness, she also felt a bit of excitement at the prospect of escaping the Vice King's bulls eye.


	7. Genesis

Amare lead Renisha up the steps to the cherry wood door. Despite the derelict conditions of the surrounding neighborhood and the church's apparent lack of upkeep, it was a majestic sight and with a bit of work, it could be restored. Renisha trailed her hand over the smooth wood, she enjoyed the smell of it. She followed closely behind her older brother into the building, the place had obviously been trashed and inhabited by the homeless at one point or another. This usually happened when the wealthy of Stilwater become bored with a region, they just left it to rot.

In the heart of the church was a sea of various shades of purple and the atmosphere was jovial, and yakking filled the room. Over by the pulpit, Renisha saw an elder man, chatting with two cohorts, they were deep in conversation. A few feet away, she spotted a young woman casually laying across a pew. Her glossy charcoal colored hair was tied into a neat high bun, her jewelry complimented her sun-kissed skin. How she carried herself impressed Renisha, the woman so nonchalant and calm in the midst of the happy chaos.

"That's Lin." Amare pointed out, nudging his sister. Lin and Amare glanced at one another, sharing a chuckle. " _Yep, He's feelin' her."_ Renisha thought, struggling to catch up with him. As she turned her head, she stopped in her tracks. Seated on a pew adjacent to where Lin had been sitting, she saw _him._ Renisha bit her bottom lip, attempting to remain as calm and as she thought, Amare was bringing her to him. "And this is my boy, Johnny Gat, just call him Gat if you want." he said, introducing the two.  
" _Oh_ , we're already quite acquainted." she snapped, refusing to shake his hand. Amare looked bewildered, "Huh?" Johnny and Renisha glared at one another. "Awww, you're _that_ girl that rudely bumped into my ass over at Amare's place." he spat. " _Tuh!_ You didn't have to cuss me out, asshole." she shot. Amare, now realizing what had happened, gently moved Renisha behind him. "Reni, chill out. Gat, this is my little sister, y'know, Renisha." he express, trying to diffuse what could easily become WWIII. "Reni, it's not the best idea to get into with Gat." he warned, she could hear Gat mumble, "Ya ass better listen to him."  
Her eyes shrunk to slits as she glowered at Amare. "I'm not afraid of any fuckin' body, you hear me? Not you and certainly not that piece of shit." He sighed, motioning her to the pew in which Lin was still sitting, finding much amusement from the scene in front of her. Renisha plopped down, huffing and crossing her arms over her chest. Amare left to talk with Julius, Dex and Troy.

In a matter of three weeks, he gained rank pretty quickly. Going from a lowly banger, to one of Julius's lieutenants. Having close encounters with the Vice Kings could help someone like that.

Lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice Lin scoot closer to her. "Hey, kid." she called out, snapping her fingers in Renisha's face. Startled, she spun to her face. "Oh, hey." she responded quietly. "Don't feel bad, everyone gets into with Gat at least once, but he warms up to you eventually." she advised studying the girl. Renisha cracked an awkward smile. "So..." she began, "you're Amare's little sister. You two could pass as twins." Lin had a way of breaking the ice, even with just small talk. "Yeah, I get that lot." she sheepishly replied. Renisha realized that Lin's outfit was different from everyone else. Her pants, that sat perfectly on her toned hips, were a shade of cobalt blue.

Before she could say anything, Renisha heard Julius call for everyone's attention. Everyone began to crowd and gather around the man. "Listen up, people. I got some serious shit to discuss. Yeah, we cleared out the Row. You think for a second that's gonna stop 'em?" he paused, eying the crowd, "Unless we wipe all these muthafuckas out, they're gonna keep comin', and they ain't gonna be happy." He paced the pulpit for a minute, returning to his speech, "It ain't gonna be settled until the Carnales, the Rollerz, and the Vice Kings ain't nothin' but a memory."

He stopped, pointing at the Dex. "Dex, you go the Carnales. Ever since they hooked up with the Colombians, it's like they own this town, and with that drug money rolling in, we can't compete. Be smart how you move against 'em. The Lopez family been runnin' that gang for thirty years. There's a reason they still around." he said. "Got it." Dexter affirmed, shaking his head.

Julius now motioned to Troy. Renisha thought to herself how much a pretty boy he was, with his wavy dirty blonde hair and pale skin. "Troy, you're dealing with the Vice Kings." Exhaling cigarette smoke, the man retorted, "Not a chance!" Julius's eyes grew wide and he leaned closer, shouting, "Fuck you say?" Troy's shoulders dropped, "Anyone but them." Renisha watched the two man go at it, it was a wonder no one reached for a gun.  
"You scared of going against Benjamin King?" he teased, laughing quietly. Johnny emerged from the crowd, "Man, fuck that, I'll take King out!" he exclaimed boldly. "Johnny, it's not that simple." He said. "Bullets still kill muthafuckas, right? Doesn't get much simpler than that." Gat replied with an air of overconfidence. Julius look at Dex, "Keep an eye on ya boy." he ordered. Gat objected, stating that he didn't need a fuckin' babysitter. Julius dismissed him and repeated what he said to Dex, who acknowledged what his boss had to say.

"Who go the Rollerz?" he inquired and before Julius could open his mouth, Lin walked through the crowd. "I do." she responded coolly. "Lin? The fuck you wearing blue for?" Gat asked incredulously. Julius explained the situation, "I asked Lin to hook up with the Rollerz. We don't know much about these fuckas, so I wanted one of us on the inside." Renisha hang her arms around the pew in front of her, watching the show with amusement. "I didn't think the Rollerz pimped hos!" a Saint joked, glimpsing at his boys. Lin laid one good punch to the man's jaw.

"Any other comments?" she questioned, obviously striking fear in her companions, except for Johnny. "Yeah, when you punch, don't throw your shoulder so much!" he suggested. Lin quickly shut him up. "Once we're done here, go talk to one of these guys. They'll have something for you to do." Julius told Amare, who caught Renisha's attention.

"It's our time now. Let's get this shit started!" he roared.


	8. A Whore's Glory

It didn't take long for Renisha and Amare to move out of the slums. They finally moved out of Shivington and into a quaint two bedroom house near the Row. It wasn't a mansion, but it certainly didn't have roaches hiding in every dark crevice. Almost everyone lived on that block too, except for Troy and Lin who stayed in the northern part of Stilwater. Well, you would have thought Lin lived there, because she almost always at their place whenever she wasn't handling the Rollerz.

It was commonplace for Reni to come home to find clothing wildly strewn across the floor. That was usually her cue to bounce for a few more hours. They didn't take much time getting to know one another – physically at least. Nevertheless, Reni honestly liked Lin, so it didn't bother her. She would normally head to a local club and blow some steam and had even become friends with a few other Saints.

Julius assigned Renisha to the Vice Kings, underneath Johnny and while he kept her, busy, Renisha mainly handled grunt work. Pushing dope from here to there, counting inventory and stock and even cleaning weaponry. Though she hadn't used them yet. She loved anything to avoid having to spend time with Gat. Whenever either of them were in a room for too long, there was bound to be an explosive argument. Renisha couldn't be bothered to deal with his bravado for too long. It was usually Dex and Gat that went out to complete jobs and gathering intel on the gang. Until one fateful day when Dex called her in for a meeting.

As she entered the office, posters of naked women were plastered across the crumbling wall, especially one of the local R&B Queen, Aisha Wilson. She promptly learned that she and Johnny were dating and this didn't sit all too well with her, but she shrugged it off. He was of no concern to her. "Take a seat, man." Gat spoke, pointing at the chair in front of him. She twirled the chair, keeping a distance from him and sat down. "So...you're Amare's lil' sis, huh?" he started, she watched his eye scan her, "You don't look like much. Then again, I don't look like I have an eight inch cock, so I guess we're both full of surprises."

She gave him a twisted expression in response, " _Talk about TMI._ " she thought. Gat continued, "The Vice Kings are named after one guy: Benjamin King. That shit don't happen unless you're a professional or a bad ass, and in King's case, he's both." Renisha got the impression that Johnny admired the man he was set out to annihilate. No sooner had he finished speaking, did Renisha hear his phone begin to chirp. "Hold up, I gotta take this." he said, turning away from her.

"Aisha, what a pleasant fuckin' surprise...Whoa, slow down. Okay that's not slower, that's louder!" he rambled. Renisha could hear a woman on the other end scream frantically. "Shit, where's she headed?", there was a brief silence, "Don't worry. I got this." he assured Aisha, hanging up the phone. "What's up?" Dex asked, he had been silent for the most part. "Some mother fucker's grabbed Aisha's sister right off the street!" he informed, worry creeping on his face.

Dex was genuinely baffled. "Shit man, that's the sixth girl this month. We know who's doing this?" Renisha sloppily stifled her humor, causing Gat to stare her down angrily. "What the fuck is so funny to you?" "You fools have been doing intel on the Vice Kings for how long?" she teased. Dex and Gat glanced at each other and back to her in confusion, "Yeah." the chimed in unison. "Any mothafucka worth his weight in salt would know that's Tanya's doing. Hell, the bitch wanted to kidnap me at at one point." The men stared at Renisha in disbelief. From the corner of her eye, she spotted Dex's eyes grow in wonder.

"Well, you gotta go and get her!" Gat roared, slamming his fists on the desk. Renisha scowled at him, "Me? That _your_ girlfriend's sister!" she shot, leaning closer to the rickety wooden desk. They glared into the other person's eyes for what seemed like ages. Gat bit his bottom lip, mumbling incoherent words. "Aight, let's go. I'm driving." he said, nearly leaving Renisha in the room. Dex stood in the corner, arms crossed and shaking his head.

* * *

The car ride was hushed. Neither of them spoke, unless Renisha ordered Gat to make a turn. His eyes were concentrated on the road ahead, and he had never gone this far into Vice King territory. He never even had a clue that Tanya had a type of storehouse for these girls. The Saints did grimy shit, but not sex trafficking, at least not against a woman's will. The skies grew to a morbid shade of gray, they could hear rumbling in the distance. Gat hit a quick turn, spotting a cobalt yellow Capshaw near a traffic light.

"Slow down, you don't want them to see us." Renisha spoke, placing a hand on Gat's forearm. He simply glanced at his company, her soft touch was peculiarly calming in a tense situation such as this. Though time seemed to feel like hours, they trailed the Capshaw for fifteen minutes, parking about a block from the derelict warehouse tucked away in the corner of an old shopping area. As soon as Renisha and Gat exited his car, the skies rumbled even louder and she could feel a tiny speck of cold water bounce on her skin. They looked at one another as if to say, "Let's make this shit quick."

Gat guided the pair to the entrance, Renisha closely stalked behind him, crouched as low to the ground as she could and with one hand on her Vice 9. They had seen a Vice King roughly escort three women into the building – someone was going to have to die. Now, they stood at the entrance, Gat briefly stuck his head around the corner. It was really his style to actually plan his ambush, but Aisha's sister was involved and the last thing he needed to hear was Aisha's mouth if the girl was hurt by his heedlessness.

Motioning her to follow, she diverted her path from his, cowering behind a metal shelf, as Gat rolled onto the man that had escorted the women. She swiftly scuttled her way to a door in the back of the room that was once guarded by another Vice King. " _Pop, pop, pop!"_ was what she could hear behind her, even the blood splattering over the concrete floor. She could have sworn she heard him snicker. She finally arrived at the door and to her surprise, it wasn't locked.

She carefully opened the door, to find the three women. She could easily spot which one was Aisha's little sister. "C'mon, I'm here to get you guys out of here." she said, gesturing for them to follow her. Without a word, the women scurried behind her. She wondered if this was what her mother had to deal with when she was Tanya's hoe. Renisha pushed the thought from her mind, sprinting outside, where Gat had already been waiting for them. The four women piled into his car and before she could shut the door, he peeled from the parking lot, there was no time to waste as two Vice Kings chased them.

Much to her relief, Aisha's sister knew her way around an automated weapon Gat had stored in the backseat. The two other women sat closely to one another, cowering in fear. It didn't take much to destroy the other two Capshaws – they weren't exactly armored vehicles. They finally arrived back at the church safely, the two women ran speedily as soon as the car was in park, Gat, Renisha and Aisha's sister stood in the parking area of the church, the woman hugged Gat and turned towards the church, the two following her.


	9. Mi Corazon

Renisha stood in awe of the woman before her. There was something about her persona, her aura that drew even the most rugged man to her. L'asia Calmes was the younger half sister of Aisha Wilson. While Aisha was attractive in her own right, she could not hold a candle to her sister. She didn't appear to be shaken up, though she could have easily have become a hoe and never to be heard from again. Renisha could see why Tanya wanted her, despite her being the sister of their cash cow. Her legs were long and lean, her skin could be made of silk. Her smile was white and dazzling. Renisha watched the two catch up like old friends would.

Minutes later, L'asia twisted her head to Renisha's, cocking it slightly. She could feel her warm gaze wash over her. "Aren't you Amerie's daughter?" she asked, Renisha could sense the bit of consolation in her tone. Johnny appeared to be lost. She struggled to conceal her emotions and with a pained expression, she responded, "Um...yeah. I am." L'asia continued to smile, brushing her hair from her face. "I thought so. You look so much like her." she complimented, Renisha cracked a smile. "She was one of the kindest women I had ever met. I'm sorry about her death." she said, now rubbing her hand on Renisha's shoulder assuredly.  
L'asia returned to her conversation with Johnny, leaving Renisha feeling a bit dazed. She slithered from the room, attempting to call Amare. Several rings later and no answer. She sighed loudly.

* * *

With one eye open, Amare saw his phone light up. He had a missed called and reached for his phone. It was Renisha. "I'll get at her." he whispered, placing the phone on the night stand. "Who was that." Lin croaked, rolling over to face him. Her messy hair strewn over her face. Amare wrapped his arms around Lin, "It's Reni, I'll hit her up later today." Lin snuggled closer to him, "You think she's okay?" Amare shook his head. "She's with Gat, he's got her back." he said confidently.

Lin laughed, "That's if they haven't murdered each other yet." Amare kissed her forehead. They sat in golden silence, cherishing the moment. It had been at least a year since he had done this. One night stands had a habit of getting old after awhile, often turning into blurry nights. He could be open around Lin in ways he normally could not, not even with his sister. "I heard that Gat and Reni had to go rescue L'asia." Lin spoke, breaking the silence. "Seriously?" Amare responded in shock, "What for?" She could hear Lin breathe heavily, "Tanya Winters."

No more had to be said. "You don't acknowledge Aisha at all. "Amare stated, his weeks of curiosity peaking. Without much hesitation, Lin answered his questions, "I hate the bitch." Amare jolted from Lin, staring at the woman. "Say what?!" he shouted. Lin shrugged, back propped against the headboard now. "You heard me. I don't like her. Trust me, hon, Gat knows." she declared casually. Amare had an ounce of a clue why.

To anyone who knew Lin and Johnny, they knew that the two were more like siblings than anything else, although she was barely nine months older than him. They had both grown up in Chinatown until Gat moved away at the age of eleven to the Projects when his father lost face. Even then, their families had kept in touch. Lin was an extremely perceptive person, her intuition was regularly on point and she could read just about anyone she came across.

Therefore, Lin never liked Aisha, and never fell for her "good girl from the hood" shtick. She found that how Aisha treated Johnny was deplorable and on a weekly basis, Johnny would be found at Lin's doorstep, begging to sleep on the couch because Aisha would kick him out once again, sometimes, over the dumbest things. Lin had no clue what bonded the couple, maybe Aisha's pussy game, but as she would tell Johnny, "Pussy is in high demand and in high supply." Aisha never truly accepted him for who he was, a regular ol' hood fool who found more pleasure at Freckle Bitches and bustin' skulls than some high scale place that Benjamin King dined frequently.  
It didn't help that Aisha was signed to Kingdom Come records and even though she claimed that she wanted out, it just never sat well with Lin and didn't believe that Aisha had an honest bone in her body. Nevertheless, Gat would do as he pleased, even if that meant continually going back and forth with her. You can only tell a grown man so much. Amare shook his head, while he and Gat had become boys, he didn't bother much into his personal life.

"Well, let's not worry ourselves with that." he spoke, wrapping his strong arms around the woman, pulling her closer for a passionate kiss. Lin gently nibbled on his bottom lip, laughing softly and moving away from him. Amare watched her move from the bed and watched her seductively walk towards the bathroom. Her nude body drove him absolutely wild and he found himself quickly addicted to her. Lin had reached the threshold, glimpsing over her shoulder and winking at her lover, one finger beckoning him. By this time, Amare was smirking wildly and practically sprang from his bed, following the woman into the bathroom, quietly shutting the door.


	10. Crack Down

Lin hurriedly shoved her legs through her black racer pants and sloppily tied her hair into a ponytail. She couldn't believe Amare made her _that_ late. "I was supposed to be over there half an hour ago!" she hissed, and from the corner of her eye she could see Amare lazily buttoning his Polo, laughing at her. "Wipe that damn grin off ya face!" she snapped, throwing a magazine his way. "Ah, calm down." he responded, wrapping an arm about her neck and placing a kiss on her cheek. "You act like anyone else knows how to tell time!" he joked, walking towards the bedroom door.

Lin giggled, ducking under his arm and darting from the bedroom, as she made her towards the living room door, her phone chirped loudly. Yanking the phone from her back pocket, she rolled her eyes and huffed. It was Gat. "This is the second time in one gotdamn week, I swear to - !" she paused to answer the phone, "What do you want, Gat?" On the other end of the line, she could hear an irritated Gat. "I already get enough shit from Eesh, I don't want to hear it from you." he shot. Lin could feel her face grow red and hot. "Who the hell do you think you're talkin' to? You know I'm sick of this shit!" she yelled, stomping her foot on the ground.

Gat was silent and Lin sighed audibly. Amare stood next to her awkwardly, no sooner than he heard Lin complain about the dynamics of their relationship, did he see it in action. "Don't eat up my damn food, you hear me?" she told him, listening to Gat groan in response. She quickly ended the call, forcing the phone back into her pocket. "I swear that fool gets on my damn nerves!" she blurted, spinning on her heels to face Amare. "I'm sorry you had to witness that." she apologized, throwing her arms around her lover. He simply shrugged, "Aye, nothing to apologize about." Lin kissed him passionately and with that, pranced out of the door and hopped in her car.

Amare followed her, only to leave in the opposite direction. He waited around for what seemed like two weeks to hear from Dexter. When he finally hit Amare up, he was surprised he had even remembered his name. Following his orders, he drove to the church. The ride wasn't a very long one, considering the streets were bare after a weekend of club hopping. Amare pulled into the only parking lot the church had and shuffled his way inside. From afar, maps, posters and pictures were tacked onto a cork board. He could see Dexter studying them intensely, whispering to himself.

"Oh, hey man. I didn't here you come in," he noted, turning to face him, "check this out." he said, gesturing towards the wall behind him. "The Carnales were the first organized gang in the city. The way Julius tells it, they owned the whole damn town until Benjamin King stepped up against them. Tell you what though, I ain't worried about their history so much as I am worried about the fact that A: the Lopez brothers are crazy motherfuckers and B: Victor, their enforcer, survived a dozen VK drive-bys. Sounds pretty bad, right?" he said, now pacing back and forth. Amare listening intently, briefly considering what he had gotten himself into.

"Now add in that the Carnales are backed by the largest drug cartel in the world, and I think you'll understand why we're gonna play this safe instead of pullin' a Johnny. We cut off their income first, then we go for Hector. Sound good?" Dexter asked. Amare nodded in agreement. Dexter paused briefly, "That was a rhetorical question, but thanks for your support." Amare chuckled, now walking behind Dexter, who was briskly heading outside and into his black and gray Nelson. "Follow me to the Carnales' drug labs, we got work to do." he ordered, quickly speeding away to The Mills.

The sun began to set in the distance as the streetlights flickered one by one. Dexter's car was soon engulfed into the evening sky. On to the right of him, he spotted bits of a dilapidated warehouse building hidden behind a swarm of trees. It was almost hidden in plain sight. Parking his car near a shroud of bushes, Amare quietly exited the vehicle and began stalking his way to the building, he could see a few members of the Los Carnales milling around the warehouse.

Moments later, he reached the open yard in front of the building and it didn't take long for two rival gang members to spot him. " _Oh, shit!"_ Amare thought, he was sure he'd pay for his mistake. The men opened fire, darting and ducking behind old oil drums between each shot. With quick precision and aim, Amare eliminated them both, he was sure the ruckus would have alerted anyone inside. Crouching beside the open area leading inside the warehouse, he peered around the corner, noticing a stout female with shoulder length brown hair sprint around the corner.

She immediately shot multiple rounds at him, missing every shot. Amare's shoulders jerked slightly as he shot the woman, leaving her to writhe on the ground in agony. At this point, he was slightly annoyed at Los Carnales marksmanship. Amare raced up the slope leading the drug lab towards the back of the warehouse, he quickly killed two men, detonating the barrels, product and flames flying everywhere. "One down, one to go." He mumbled, reloading his gun and turning on his heels.

As he made his way out of the building and towards his car, more Los Carnales began to chase him down, pedestrians attempting to scatter and jump out of harm's way like roaches scattering from light. Panicked screams, gun fire and screeching rubber from tires followed him as he sped down the road towards the second drug lab. The second lab was manned by a few more gang members, but nothing he could easily take on his own, speedily finishing his task.

At this point, he was more than aggravated at how incredibly easy the task had been, instead his shook his head and began the long drive home. Crippling Los Carnales had to be more intense than this.


	11. McManus Says Hello

A scorching mid-July day transitioned to a crisp October afternoon, Amare scuffled his feet against the jagged sidewalk as he made his way into Friendly Fire. Dex has rudely woken him up, practically demanding he meet him there in less than fifteen minutes. Dex's domineering personality often rubbed him the wrong way, but more often than not, Amare simply ignored it. There wasn't much a low ranking member could do.

As he spun around the corner, he spotted Troy and Dex inside chatting excitedly, while a slender saleswoman rummaged around the glass case. The door alarm chimed loudly as he stepped inside, the woman was now proudly holding a sniper rifle. "This is the McManus! As you can see, it's fully collapsible and comes in a stately black attache. The 18 inch cryogenically treated stainless steel bull barrel gives this rifle a guaranteed accuracy of point two minute of angle at 600 yards with match grade ammunition," she stated, fingers gracefully pointing out each feature of the stunning beautiful rifle, "with it's hand ream chamber and it's match grade trigger, the McManus is designed for the marksman who wants to reach out and touch someone at a moment's notice!" she smirked.

Without much pause, Dex hurriedly announced, "I'll take it!" No one had seemed to acknowledge the Amare was even in the room. "Lovely, would you like it gift wrapped?" she asked, placing it gently on the glass counter before ringing the purchase. Dex declined, turning to address Troy and Amare. "Tight job on that lab, dawg." Dex congratulated, nudging Amare's shoulder. "We found a memo saying that Hector's meeting with the Colombians tonight. With the amount of firepower that's gonna be there, just showing up and rushing them would be suicide." Dex told him and motioning towards the rifle, "take McManus here and get to the docs, find a nice, tall building and wait. When Hector makes his move with the Colombians, take ya shot."

His tasked appeared easy enough or so his over inflated ego deluded him into believing. He strapped the McManus over his shoulder and was nearly about to head out of the building until Troy finally spoke up, telling him that the first place Los Carnales would think to look would be towards the Colombians and Manuel Orejuela, the Colombian's mouthpiece. Amare nodded his head in agreement, turning to exit the building.

He briefly strolled towards his apartment, merely a block away; silently praying Renisha hadn't taken his Hammerhead earlier that morning. Approaching the driveway, Amare kissed his teeth and groaned. This was the fifth time this week she'd taken his car, as if she didn't have her own. He rolled his eyes, walking towards the black and gray Nelson parked a few feet away.

Amare peeled out of the driveway, the sound of screeching tires echoed against the surrounding buildings. He had a little under five minutes to reach the Poseidon Alley dock and amazingly, the streets of Stilwater weren't horribly congested. The small car bobbed and weaved through the streets, frantic cries and curses were barely audible over the car's engine. From the rear view mirror, Amare could see a slew of middle fingers and furious prostitutes toss their purses at him.

The car spun around the corner, approaching a row of slowly crumbling warehouses, graffiti had gotten to them long ago. He drove between two buildings, parking in front of a few crates. Amare jogged towards the crates, using them as a makeshift ledge onto the rusting staircase. Sprinting around each flight of stairs, he make sure not to look down, this was not the time to test his ever growing fear of heights. He hoisted himself onto an air duct, briskly running across to reach the roof of the adjacent building.

Amare ran across the roof, positioning himself behind a vent. From his view, he could see a few Los Carnales settled on a ship across from him and about a yard away, he spotted three crimson cars pulling up to the shipyard between them. With his McManus in hand, Amare zoomed onto his unsuspecting targets. The cars came to a halt and few moments later, twelve or so men exited the vehicles. Amare immediately spotted Hector, he stood out among his lieutenants dressed in a suave dress suit that matched his car.

Hector confidently swayed towards three men in white dress suits, he could only assume one of which was Manuel Orejuela, the mouthpiece for the Colombian Cartel. Amare leaned in closer to the rifle, zooming in just a few inches more. He could see Hector clear as day from his vantage point. " _Don't fuck this up, man."_ Amare whispered to himself, finger quivering over the trigger.

He inhaled deeply, firmly pulling the trigger. The rifle's recoil was a bit stronger than he assumed it would be, violently jerking his shoulder. No sooner than he fired his shot, did gunfire erupt, Hector's body had crumpled onto the ground and the Colombians had taken cover. The building forcefully shook as several rockets smashed against it, knocking Amare to his feet. " _Well, shit!"_ he thought, quickly crawling away from his position.

Wasting no time, Amare escaped from the roof and sped down the staircase, Stilwater Police Department had descended upon Los Carnales and he'd never seen them arrive that quickly. Once he reached the concrete was nearly skipped to his car, scurrying out of the fray. He was grateful he even escaped undetected and was racing at break neck speed back to his apartment. The police that often patrolled his block didn't even glance in his direction as he drove past them.

Amare pulled into his driveway, parking the car and rubbing his eyes as fatigue began to set. The entire neighbor was quiet and dark and as he left the vehicle and walked towards the entrance, he spotted an unfamiliar car on the opposite end of the street. He could barely make out the color or what model it was. He figured it had to have been a new tenant on the block. Shrugging his shoulders, he continued his walk and entered his apartment and the thought of the unfamiliar car was long gone.


End file.
